6A, 12V SSS Based Solar Charge Control

This is a Solid State Switch upgrade to the 6A, 12V solar charge regulator. Solid state switching provides longer
life, smaller size and higher efficiency than a relay. In addition, the clock frequency may be doubled in order to
better track battery load /charging requirements. The parts cost is only slightly higher. One drawback is the loss
of the secondary output feature. For more information go the above link.

The application for this type of charge control is one in which the battery capacity is large in respect to the
charging current; e.g. 6A solar panel charging a 60AH battery in which it takes perhaps a full day’s sunshine to
fully charge the battery. For much smaller batteries, the high charging rate and relatively high battery internal
resistance results in excessive terminal voltage so that the control immediately interrupts charging –the end
result is that the battery cannot charge fully –a linear charge regulator is more appropriate in such cases.

Schematic of the Solid State Switch Solar Charge Controller

RAYAN
Bill of materials

Use IRF950n high power fet

6a, 12v sss based charge control bom.xls

Eliminate the relay life issue

While relay life is probably OK, it is definitely limited. Check out the following Omron relay endurance
specification. Mechanically, it is good for 100million operations. With a 10A, 250VAC load, it is rated for only
36,000 operations. Note that a form C contact is used, so the form A (normally open contact) specification does
not apply. I believe (guess) that it is good for at least 400,000 operations in the 6A solar charge regulator
application –this equates to approximately 1year’s operation. So you can see the advantage of going solid state.

Omron G5LE specification

Driving the MOSFET gate

Obtaining high speed MOSFET operation can be a challenge, but at such a low frequency (0.067HZ), driving
the gate is a piece of cake. MOSFET turn-off is generally the issue, so I obtained an oscillograph. Turn-off
occurs within about 80uS, and the active portion of the gate voltage is indicated by the step on the transition.
R14 is what discharges the MOSFET gate capacitance, including the Miller capacitance in which the change in
drain voltage is coupled to the gate thus slowing the transition. The gate turns on via R9 and the gate voltage is
limited via zener D3 to 10V –otherwise the full solar panel voltage could appear between the gate and source
and potentially damage the MOSFET.

Oscillograph
Setup

To set the Max Voltage Adjust potentiometer (R12), start with it turned CW, monitor the voltage and wait for
the battery terminal voltage to reach the desired voltage (e.g. 14.5V). At this point, turn R12 CCW until the
LED extinguishes. When the LED comes on again at the next clock cycle, recheck the voltage at which it
extinguishes.

Photos
 For the future

 6A, 6V relay based solar charge control

 6A, 6V SSS based solar charge control
 MPPT buck converter solar charge control
 Selection guide for the various solar charge controls